BUCYRUS - Residents unhappy with how mail is delivered to their homes took their frustrations to Bucyrus City Council on Tuesday.

Speaking on behalf of the concerned residents was Nancy Heiby, of Bucyrus. She explained to council members that the situation started when the postmaster of the Bucyrus post office sent her and several of her neighbors a letter asking them to install curbside mailboxes.

"Walking door-to-door is the most expensive form of delivery that we have," the letter from the post office reads. "Curbside delivery, where the customer mounts a mailbox at the curb in front of their home or next to their driveway, is safer and cheaper than having to walk to every house."

Heiby explained that she and her neighbors on East Kilbourne Drive thought the letters were just requests, and that no response was necessary if they preferred to continue receiving mail at their door.

"I thought I was able to 'opt out,'" she said. "There are five of us on East Kilbourne who did not put up curbside boxes."

But then she stopped receiving mail — her neighbors did, too.

"Maybe it would have been a lot better worded if they said you must contact us, rather than leaving it up to you can maybe contact us if you want to," Heiby said.

Heiby said one of her neighbors went to the post office and was given a pile of mail, while another neighbor was told their mail would be brought to their door-side mailbox. One of the residents on the street who did install a curbside mailbox told Heiby the post office left a note in their box telling them they couldn't park in front of the mailbox if they wanted mail delivery to continue.

At this point, Heiby said she and her neighbors don't feel their mail delivery is reliable.

"I'm feeling intimidated and blackmailed," Heiby said. "I feel that the Bucyrus post office is being very unprofessional."

Council Steve Pifer was curious how the post office could legally withhold someone's mail from them. Bucyrus Law Director explained the post office has several internal regulations they can use to justify cessation of mail delivery.